Advantages and Disadvantages of computer based databases

a. Describe what you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of a computer search of ERIC and other databases, as compared to other search methods?
b. Based on what you discovered in the CIJE (Current Index to Journals in Education) article abstracts, why is it often necessary to locate and read the original articles or papers rather than rely on the information in the abstracts?
c. Why are secondary sources a good place to begin looking for information on a topic? What are the most valuable traits of secondary sources? What do you consider to be the major limitations of secondary sources?
d. Which library holdings are usually considered to be primary sources of information?
e. Outline the strategy suggested for rapidly assessing the large number of reports you are likely to encounter when reviewing literature on a given topic. Explain how the process will work for you.
f. Explain why knowledge of statistical terms and concepts enables you to interpret research reports more accurately.

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Advantages of Online Research

The most notable advantage of doing research online at search engines such as ERIC is the immediate accessibility of the information. ERIC (Education Resources Information Center gives educators access to databases in their field. Databases such as ERIC, EBSCOHOST, PROQUEST, and GALE have a wide range of articles from professional and scholarly journals. Online research also gives the researcher the advantage of being able to decipher research on the spur of the moment, while the information can later be verified or discredited when researched in greater depth (Langley, 2011).

Some disadvantages of databases such as ERIC are that typically, there is a cost to access databases and scholarly journal articles. The price can be very expensive for college students and it is not uncommon to pay as much as $40 to download one article. Another disadvantage is the use of secondary sources that have incorrectly copied information from the original source or "information" that is based on opinion, not evidence. Researchers encounter incorrect statistics frequently when using online databases wherein incorrect statistics and other false information are high (Langley, 2011).

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Explains the advantages and disadvantages of computer based databases.

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